Driver: Parallel Lines

About

Driver: Parallel Lines drops you into New York City as T.K., a young drifter who trades in getaway driving and small-time heists to climb the criminal ladder. The game strips away the clunky on-foot combat of its predecessor, focusing instead on high-speed chases, precision driving, and open-world exploration across two distinct time periods, 1978 and 2006. You’ll navigate gritty streets, pull off bank robberies, and build a reputation through a mix of main missions and side jobs like smuggling and gambling debt collection. The blend of arcade-style racing and light shooting keeps the action moving, with a strong emphasis on vehicle customization and city exploration. What stands out is the game’s tight driving mechanics and the way New York’s shifting eras alter the city’s layout and challenges. While the story leans into familiar crime tropes, the escalating stakes and morally gray characters add some depth. Community reviews often highlight it as a redemption for the series after the uneven Driv3r, praising the return to pure driving fun. With a runtime of around 15, 20 hours and a robust PC/Xbox/PS2/Wii port history, it’s a dated but still satisfying entry for fans of heist-driven racers.

Storyline

T.K is a 18-year old kid who just arrived from the countryside to New York City, "looking to make good". Using his driving skills, he becomes known in the underworld as a wheelman and a getaway driver for robbers assaulting "nickel and dime" stores. He lives with his childhood friend Ray, who himself arrived in 1975 and after a short career as a wheelman, set up Ray's Autos tuning garage. T.K spends his time relaxing in Ray's room, racing and doing various odd jobs around town, stating that "after a couple of weeks, it felt like home." Ray, wishing to move on up the criminal ladder, introduces T.K to Slink, owner of a popular club in Harlem, and he proves himself to him by doing some work for him and handling his skills with a gun. He is also introduced to a gangster known as The Mexican, whom he helps with his driving skills by delivering packages across the city and proving himself against the last driver, whom The Mexican has locked in his trunk as a punishment. Later on, he is also introduced to a local criminal called Bishop, who requests from T.K to infiltrate Riker's Island and smuggle out Candy, a local gangster jailed there. Meanwhile, T.K also helps Ray with his gambling debt by doing other odd jobs across the city to pay him off. After meeting up with Slink, Bishop, The Mexican and Candy, he is introduced to Corrigan, a corrupt police officer who doubles as a drug dealer. Since cocaine has a large foothold on the New York drug market and will be a rising star in the 1980s, Corrigan's organization wishes to gain leverage over cocaine distribution, but their main issue is Rafael Martinez, a Colombian drug lord who holds a monopoly on the drug trade, so they plan to have him kidnapped and held for ransom, which will be used to start a prominent drug trade. After setting up an elaborate ambush, in which Candy proves crucial with his planning skills, they successfully kidnap him. After the Colombian Cartel relents and provides ransom, T.K is collected and escapes the Cartel's men across rooftops, with The Mexican providing cover for him. After the ransom is delivered to Corrigan, he suddenly shoots Martinez dead, while the rest of the gang leaves. Corrigan reveals that T.K is set to be the fall guy, he sells T.K out and shoots him. T.K survives, but is arrested, trialed and sentenced to 28 years in the notorious Sing-Sing prison.